Legends Never Die 2 - DJ Odin Interview

Bored catches up with DJ Odin for a chat about the release of the new "Legends Never Die 2" mixtape...

Bored catches up with DJ Odin for a chat about the release of the new "Legends Never Die 2" mixtape

At the end of last summer DJ Odin released his epic 9 hour long Legends Never Die mixtape that compiled songs the from classic 90's skate video soundtracks, as well as memorable audio clips from the videos which caught the attention of skate nerds across globe. And now he's back with Legends Never Die 2, a brand new mixtape that covers the songs from four decades of skate videos and features Hip-Hop, Punk, Soul, Rock, Reggae, Funk, Pop and much more. So for the release we wanted to catch up with Tom Thornton (DJ Odin) to find out a bit more about the new mixtape, and the inspirations behind it.

First of all congratulations on the huge success with the first Legends Never Die mix, it was on heavy rotation in the shop and in our office for a long while. We also loved the presentation with the wax and VHS box, it was all right on point. And it goes without saying that we're stoked that you're back with another mix for us all.

How did you plan for LND2 before you embarked on such an epic mission for the second time? What was your process?

Really and truly the positive feedback from Vol.1 was the main inspiration for a follow up mix. I was going through a tough time personally during the making of Legends Never Die and it served as good therapy for me to pour my heart and soul into the project. When it was released and people were hitting me up from all corners of the globe saying how much joy it brought them it lifted my spirits and I realised I was on a good path. The planning and the process was similar to the first, a lot of video watching, note taking, erb smoking and trying to spot clever links and segways between songs and skits.

What you made you venture out to more current vides this time instead of keeping it 90's?

I didn't want to seem like I was stuck in the 90's and refusing to acknowledge the progress of the culture since the turn of the century. Every year amazing new videos come out so it would be foolish to not watch them and possibly include them in the mix.

What are some of your favourite skate parts, or even full videos?

Favourite UK Videos were anything by Panic/Blueprint. Growing up skating Fairfield in the mid-late 90's looking up to Paul Shier and seeing all the footage in those videos from him and the rest of the team was so inspirational. My favourite US Videos would be Mouse, Photosynthesis, Menikmati, Modus operandi, The Reason and obviously Zoo York's Mixtape. I think my favourite section is probably the Switchstance section from 411VM 15 - it's a dope section and introduced me to Al Green (not personally) but you get the idea.

Do you watch many new parts, and if so who are you feeling at the moment?

I watch tons of new parts, full lengths and podcasts (Big up The Nine Club for their support!). My favourite video last year was Spirit Quest - its epic! It's an obvious one but Shane O'Neil has one of the smoothest styles I've ever seen, but there's too many newer dudes ripping to mention, Jamie Foy is insane!

You lived and studied here in Portsmouth at Uni back in the day and used to be one of the resident DJ's at The Go Off, which was the best night in the city if you were in to hip-hop and you opened for some pretty big names. Do you have some favourite memories from those days?

Opening for Lord Finesse was highlight for me, he only had 3 UK dates booked and Big Daddy Brendon (the promoter & local legend) bagged him for a leg in Pompey! You'd be surprised how many people didn't know he was the voice behind 'Check it out now, the funk soul brother....' from Fatboy Slim.

We've seen you a few times in the store with our mutual friend and fellow DJ Gentle Bren, do still you manage to get back to Southsea often to play out or even just visit?

I've played Victorious festival and NYE down there for the last 2 years, occasionally DJ at special events at The One Eyed Dog alongside Gentle Bren and my homie does all my tattooing there so I'm actually in your city quite a bit!

We heard you broke your leg when you were younger, did that put an end to your regular skateboarding sessions and got you into music and DJing a bit more?

Yeah in 2000 I was bunking College, skating and filming at a mini ramp at Crawley skatepark with my mate Charlie Young (now rides for Palace) when I snapped my ankle. I had turntables at home which I used to mix on a little after I'd done skating for the day but since my skating was done for 6 months I really turned all my focus to scratching in particular.

What are your plans for the release of the new LND2 mix, is there gonna be a shop launch or party?

Like the first I planned to have a launch and party but I was so overwhelmed with restocking shops and replying to all the feedback etc. that the time to celebrate kind of passed me by. I think I'll have a big blow out party once LND2 has also sold out. As for plans, there are some limited edition T-Shirts coming soon and I'm currently in talks about a LND radio show in theme with the mix which would be great to explore the stories behind the songs and videos further.

We've seen the pictures of your home production line, it must insane just getting it all boxed and shipped off to the stores, are you gonna take a break once they've finally been sent out?

I pulled all nighters to get it into stores on time but I can safely say one week after its launch I will be in San Francisco for 5 weeks with my girlfriend, relaxing on some Cali trees!!